ARMM-based group cited for serving victims of conflicts, calamities

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Relief Team (HEART) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was honored on Tuesday night with a “Sharif Kabunsuan Award” for having served a million victims of calamities and conflicts since 2013.

The award was personally handed over by ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman to officials of the HEART during the “Gabi ng Parangal” at the 32-hectare regional compound in Cotabato City, one of the highlights of the month-long celebration of the 25th founding anniversary of the region.

The award was named after a legendary Islamic cleric, Sharif Mohammad Kabunsuan, the first ever Muslim missionary to set foot in Central Mindanao in the 14th century, from what is now Johore in Malaysia, to spread Islam.

The anniversary festival was launched on November 7 in Tawi-Tawi, but cultural activities, meant to showcase the cultures and traditions of the ARMM’s ethno-linguistic groups, started on Wednesday.  

The HEART, comprised of volunteers from emergency groups and employees of different line agencies of the autonomous region, saw action during the September 2013 siege of Zamboanga City by followers of the now fugitive Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front.

It also embarked on relief operations in Visayas after a powerful storm surge flattened parts of the region two months later.

While Zamboanga City and the Visayas region are outside of ARMM, the group, whose operation is being sustained by the office of Hataman, did not hesitate to reach out to needy residents in the two areas.

The HEART had also served thousands of ARMM residents displaced by calamities and armed conflicts in recent months.

The HEART extended relief and rehabilitation assistance to a big number of villagers in Maguindanao, a component province of ARMM, displaced by flashfloods, from 2013 to October this year.

The flood victims are residents of towns along the 220,000-hectare Liguasan Delta, which overflows during the rainy days.

Lawyer Kirby Matalam Abdullah, who is helping Hataman and the region’s executive secretary, Laisa Alamia, manage the HEART, said credit has to go to volunteers helping the group function efficiently.

“I also thank Allah for providing us with good staff members, emergency and rescue workers and dedicated people helping us respond fast to emergencies,” Abdullah said.

The HEART was organized more than a year ago by the Hataman administration and has since been serving people in calamity and conflict-stricken areas in the autonomous region.

The region covers Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, both in Central Mindanao, and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.